i know i have a hard time staying on one subject for any length of time without getting sidetracked. obvious example - my previous post. so, why not continue with what i was starting to write when i caught myself and continued on the original path? okay then.
a friend of mine from India (code name Saikat) told me that what i'm about to relegate is true everywhere; this news bummed me out instead of making me feel better about the state of the world. yeah, love actually is all around, but there's a helluvalot of non-love happening, too. narcissism is trying to rule this land. everyone is told from youth to "watch out for number one", "climb the ladder", "succeed." it's crap. it's frustrating. it's reality t.v. in physical form. it's the reason factories belch out nasties all day and all night, and there are more cars than people in this country (hmmm, actually i'm not sure, but it's gotta be close). it's why psychiatrists exist and we have to have a church series about desensitization. it's why i can't stand to watch the "news" or check out political debates. can't we all just get along?
the worst thing about what i thought was an "american" problem is that the world is consumed by the notion that what's best for one will work for all. no frickin' way. if everyone would receive exactly what they wanted, which in most cases is a far cry from what they really need, there would be a convenience store on every corner and all the churches would be pool halls. or some absurd nonsensical detriment along those lines.
the point is there are two kingdoms, you see - we live in both simultaneously. the first is the universe; earth is the main set of the play, and all around are tons of props to keep us busy. plants, animals, bodies of water and piles of land all sorts of shapes, colours, textures, consistencies, and inhabitations. then the air, then no air, then a myriad of planets, stars, moons, galaxies, and the infinite question. inside all that is you. in your kingdom are hobbies, friends, relatives, jobs, likes and dislikes, vacations, friendly strangers, hair appointments, bubble gum, life. your life.
the connection is that for one part to work properly and for the two to co-exist, you gotta take care of the inner kingdom and the outer kingdom at the same time. this in no way inhibits good times. actually, it multiplies them. remember "pay it forward"? yeah, well that concept works. a great friend of mine (who i swear one day will be sainted) wrote once that one should ask "is this act i'm about to do beautiful?" wow. whenever i'm struggling with something, i go to that. i dunno, he might have gotten it from someone else, but i don't care. there's nothing new under the sun and i heard it from him, so there you have it.
personally, i stack things that are questionable up against God to see how they should fall. it's his place - i think i should check with him before screwing around with it. try it sometime. and then next time you have a chance to react to someone's seemingly moronic words or deeds, think of the 10,000 other ways you can react, too, and see if you're going for the best one.
know what? we can all get along (that includes momma nature) - but it's only gonna happen if we focus on what we can do for someone else instead of ourselves. yep, it's a great big blech of a struggle for me pretty much hourly. i love it.
man, i feel like wringing my hands and jumping up and down or something. i'm all worked up and it's time for bed.
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Wow, man. Excellent thoughts. It reminds me of the whole "Body of Christ" metaphor. If I think of myself not as a separate entity, but as a faculty of a body, then my every move works for the better of the whole. In other words, if the "ear" decided it didn't need the rest of the body, it would be rendered useless. An ear by itself accomplishes nothing. But in conjunction with nerve endings, blood, hands, mind, spirit, heart, feet, calf muscles, liver, etc, it makes for one amazing, healthy specimen. Thanks for your thoughts.
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